PTI's Mian Soomro refuses to be sworn in as state minister

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Muhammad Mian Soomro on Tuesday refused to take oath as state minister.

Mr. Soomro, who had previously served as the Senate chairman and caretaker president, reiterated his objection on being subordinated as state minster and returned to Karachi without taking oath at the rescheduled ceremony.

Sources mentioned that the PTI-elect MNA for Jacobabad had declined the offer of becoming a state minister for privatization when the summary of the cabinet division was revealed to him in this regard only few hours prior to the ceremony, which was earlier scheduled on Monday.

Earlier on, his portfolio was not presented in factual description if Imran Khan intended to make Mr Soomro a full-fledged minister or induct him as a state minister.

However, the rescheduled ceremony moved to take oath from six new ministers for the cabinet after Mian Soomro drew back from the offer on Tuesday.

Murad Saeed, Shabbir Ali and Muhammad Hammad Azhar have been inducted as state ministers while Omar Ayub, Ali Zaidi Haider Zaidi and Ali Muhammad Khan have been sworn in as ministers.

With the inclusion of six new ministers and state ministers, the cabinet now consists of 27 members.